Cozy Mystery Books
At some point during the last few years, I’ve niched down to a very specific type of book interest. It’s not all I read, but it’s certainly taken over a large portion of my reading list as of late and is always something I enjoy (when done well). I’ve loved mysteries, especially who-dun-its, since I was a kid, but I’m a huge scaredy cat and don’t like anything spooky. Enter the cozy mystery genre. A cozy mystery is typically described as light-hearted and less violent, with the focus more on solving the mystery and character development and less on the violence. They often-times feature amateur sleuths and/or take place in a small town. I’d probably like a lot of books in this general category, but I’ve taken it even further and somehow fallen in love with cozy British mysteries, featuring amateur sleuths who are all aged 50+. And at the moment they’ve almost all been women too. I told you it was a niche. But I’m also surprised at how many I’ve found so I clearly am not the only one! I should note that I’ve also been solely listening to audiobooks because it’s what I have time for at the moment, so this list is all audiobook-approved by me with narrators I enjoyed!
Before I go into why I liked these books, I do want to note (probably needlessly) that reading preferences are so subjective. I always get nervous recommending books, since what appeals to me, may not be your thing and vice versa. I like books with interesting characters and a story that keeps me engaged, but most often, I’m looking for an escape so I don’t want anything too sad or serious. I love a light read, even if it’s not something I’ll remember forever. I’ll do my best to rate these in terms of how much I enjoyed them/how much I’d recommend them.
AGATHA RAISIN
by M.C. Beaton
4/5
I discovered this series during the pandemic when I really wanted an escape. Agatha Raisin is a fifty-something, newly retired PR executive who moves to the Cotswolds and ends up becoming an amateur detective. She’s stubborn, determined and sometimes incredibly frustrating, but you love her anyway. The series pulls together a fun cast of characters as she befriends the vicar’s wife, a detective constable and a stingy, local noble. It’s definitely not high literature, but they’re short and fun and there are over 30 of them. If you read (or listen to them all) they can get a little repetitive, but it’s great, easy reading and definitely cozy.
THURSDAY MURDER CLUB
by Richard Osman
5/5
This series is fantastic. It follows a group of four septuagenarians in a retirement community who meet weekly in the puzzle room to solve cold cases and then find themselves in the middle of real murder investigations. The chapters switch off perspectives from each character (I particularly like how one of the character’s perspectives is written all from her diary entries). The characters are great, the writing fantastic and humorous.
WE SOLVE MURDERS
by Richard Osman
5/5
After blazing through the Thursday Murder Club series as quickly as I could as they came out, I was so thrilled when the author announced he was writing another series and it did not disappoint! It follows retired police officer Steve Wheeler and his daughter-in-law, private security expert Amy Wheeler. It has a lot of characters to keep track of and feels a lot faster paced than Thursday Murder Club, but equally as entertaining and funny. I’d even go as far as to say it has a broader appeal and I would recommend it as a book even for those not looking specifically for a cozy mystery. Can’t wait for more in the series!
THE CHARITY SHOP DETECTIVE AGENCY
by Peter Boland
3/5
The Charity Shop Detective Agency follows three volunteers at a charity shop called "Dogs Need Nice Homes", who form a detective agency to solve murders in their small seaside town. Did I mention their ages? You can guess it. The series is okay. Cute and entertaining listening enough that I’ll continue to read them if they continue to come out, but I find the characters a little less interesting and in general I’m less invested.
THE MARLOWE MURDER CLUB
by Robert Thorogood
4/5
Another small town, another interesting older, female protagonist. Judith Potts enjoys swimming naked in the Thames and solving crosswords (she actually used to write them). She finds herself witnessing what she thinks is a murder and begins investigating with two unlikely friends, a dog-walker and the vicar’s wife. Judith herself has somewhat of a secret past that begins to get revealed in the background of the ongoing murders. This ongoing larger mystery in the background is probably what makes me rate this one slightly higher than The Julia Bird Mysteries or Charity Shop Detective Agency.
JULIA BIRD MYSTERIES
by Katie Gayle
3.5/5
Julia Bird is a recently retired social worker who moves to the Cotswolds and finds herself embroiled in murder investigations. The same trope I’m clearly fond of. The series is similar in my mind to Charity Shop Detective Agency, in that it’s cute and easy listening, nothing particularly remarkable, but for some reason I’d give it an edge over it, probably because of my soft spot for the Cotswolds and tendency to romanticise it?
SAFFRON EVERLEIGH MYSTERIES
by Kate Khavari
4/5
Breaking my trend of older protagonists, Saffron Everleigh is a young botanist in post-WWI England. She finds herself lending her expertise in botany to help solve numerous murders. The mysteries are interesting and I love the added bit of romantic entanglements for Saffron.
I’d also love to take the time to shout out the Libby library app where you can find many of these audiobooks (or Kindle books if you go that route) through your local library! Sometimes you have to get on the waitlist for a while, but I’ve kind of enjoyed letting the availability help me decide what to read when. I’ll get on the waitlist for a bunch of books on my to-be-read list and then read them as they become available rather than hemming and hawing over making a choice on which one to start!